Audiobook Sample

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  • Title: In Five Years: A Novel
  • Author: Rebecca Serle
  • Narrator: Megan Hilty
  • Length: 06:45:04
  • Version: Abridged
  • Release Date: 10/03/2020
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature, Contemporary Women, Family Life
  • ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Dear fellow wanderers and story lovers,

There’s something magical about listening to a story that feels like it was written just for you, especially when you’re on the road. I remember driving through the winding roads of Tuscany, the golden light filtering through the olive groves, when I first pressed play on “In Five Years”. Megan Hilty’s voice filled my rental car with such warmth and intimacy that I had to pull over just to soak it all in. It reminded me of those evenings in Oaxaca, where stories weren’t just told – they were felt. That’s exactly what Rebecca Serle’s novel achieves through this exceptional audiobook experience.

“In Five Years” begins with a premise that immediately hooks you: Type-A lawyer Dannie Kohan has her life perfectly planned – until she experiences one inexplicable hour five years in the future. What follows is a story that unfolds like a carefully peeled onion (to borrow Mark Manson’s apt metaphor), revealing layers about love, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of life. Serle’s writing has this remarkable quality of making the extraordinary feel deeply personal. As someone who’s spent years collecting stories from around the world, I can tell you this one stays with you like the memory of a perfect sunset in Santorini.

Megan Hilty’s narration is nothing short of brilliant. She captures Dannie’s precision and Bella’s free spirit with such distinct vocal textures that you’d swear there were multiple narrators. There’s a particular scene where Dannie describes her future apartment – Hilty delivers these lines with such vivid specificity that I could see the sunlight streaming through those imaginary windows. It reminded me of listening to Gabriel García Márquez in the Atacama, where the narrator’s voice becomes inseparable from the landscape of the story.

The novel explores themes that resonate deeply with anyone who’s ever made plans only to have life rewrite them. Serle asks us to consider: What if our carefully constructed futures aren’t what we’re meant to have? As a travel writer, this question hits home – some of my most profound experiences came from detours I never planned. The relationship between Dannie and her best friend Bella is particularly well-realized, their dynamic echoing those unexpected friendships we form on the road that somehow become lifelong anchors.

From an audio production standpoint, the pacing is impeccable. At just under 5 hours, it’s the perfect length for a cross-country drive or a series of evening listens. The emotional beats land with precision – Hilty knows exactly when to speed up during moments of tension and when to slow down for the heartbreaking revelations. There’s one particular revelation about two-thirds through that had me sitting in a roadside café in Portugal, completely forgetting about my cooling espresso as the truth unfolded.

While the novel excels in emotional storytelling, listeners should know this isn’t a traditional romance. Like the best travel experiences, it defies easy categorization. Some might find the metaphysical elements challenging if they prefer strictly realistic fiction, but Serle handles these moments with such grace that they feel entirely organic to Dannie’s journey.

Compared to similar works in the contemporary women’s fiction genre, “In Five Years” stands out for its willingness to explore deeper philosophical questions while maintaining an accessible, emotionally engaging narrative. It shares DNA with “The Immortalists” in its exploration of fate, but with a more intimate focus that makes it particularly suited to the audiobook format. The listening experience creates this wonderful intimacy – like hearing a friend share their most vulnerable story over a bottle of wine.

For potential listeners, I’d recommend saving this for a time when you can truly immerse yourself. It’s the kind of story that deserves your full attention, whether you’re on a long train journey through the countryside or curled up in your favorite reading nook. And if you’re like me – someone who believes the best stories change how you see your own life – you’ll want to have a journal handy for the thoughts it will inevitably stir up.

With stories to tell and roads yet to travel,
Marcus Rivera